The landscape of work in America has rarely been more fraught than in 2026. Hiring freezes, surprise layoffs, and entry-level roles that require five years of experience are becoming the norm, and those who are employed often find that workplace stress follows them home. Although workplace stress is unavoidable, resilience strategies can make sustained mental health possible both on and off the clock. Javeed Sukhera, M.D., Ph.D., recently presented a panel session on organizational resilience at the APA’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco with Betsy Schwartz, MSW, Senior Director of the APA Foundation’s Center for Workplace Mental Health and industry experts. Dr. Sukhera is an internationally acclaimed researcher and psychiatrist who serves as Associate Chief Academic Officer at Hartford HealthCare, Chair of Psychiatry at the Institute of Living (IOL), and Chief of Psychiatry at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. In the session, he discussed the signs of a healthy occupational culture, methods of co-constructing well-being with your employer, and more.
- Before signing an offer letter, he suggests understanding three fundamental elements of an organization that signal a culture supportive of well-being and psychological safety. Does your would-be boss convey emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence in the workplace looks like a willingness to decenter oneself or be comfortable with not being the smartest person in the room. "For example," said Dr. Sukhera, "during the course of the pandemic, when resident physicians struggled with lots of distress and challenge, one of the mediating effects of that was the role of their program director and how well that person could model vulnerability, could be open and transparent and really be intentional about trust. So that’s one big piece: who will you report to and what is your perception of their emotional intelligence?"
- Are policies in place that allow a human-centered culture?
These policies might look like giving employees the day off after Thanksgiving or substantive time during the winter holidays, scheduling allowances for caregiver flexibility, or offering engagement opportunities like affinity groups in the workplace. Especially significant for younger generations is the opportunity for connection and fellowship at work.
- Does the organization prioritize retention on the same level as recruitment?
Putting an emphasis on retaining employees means establishing clarity around the expectations of job duties. It also means truly seeing and acknowledging employee contributions, e.g., leaders giving validation when an employee exceeds the stated scope of their role. Importantly, giving validation – not expressing gratitude – is key. Gratitude for employees can often be appropriated into superficial things, like throwing a pizza party, but validation translates into outcomes like internal opportunities for advancement.
But what about creating resilience in a role you’ve already grown accustomed to? “Existing well-being literature often falls into a false dichotomy where one side is resilience training or mindfulness, and the other side is the organizational conditions,” said Dr. Sukhera. “But it’s not that simple. Identifying success metrics for workplace resilience comes from answering three questions: What do I have to do for my job? What would I love to do no matter what role I am in? And where is the overlap between the two? I always say that the overlap needs to be at least 51%.”
And if the overlap is less than 51%, there are still viable ways forward. Dr. Sukhera encouraged panel participants to understand and step into their agency in the workplace. “Agency is the capacity to act within constraints. Trying to provide feedback to a leader can be difficult, but when you approach it with the frame ‘how can you help me coach through this challenge,’ that gives you more agency – it allows you to use your voice for change, but within the constraints. You can also strategically choose silence – there are things that bug us in every workplace, and there is a way to choose silence that feels empowering and a way that feels demoralizing. We have to feel like we are making that choice within constraints, rather than feeling like the constraints are making the choice for us.”
Many employees, especially those who are new to the workforce, want to step into your agency but worry that they may face retaliation. “In those instances, ask yourself what you truly fear: perceived judgement or tangible harm?” said Dr. Sukhera. “If you’re primarily scared of perceived judgement, it may still be worth speaking up. In the healthiest workplaces, a sense of mutuality and interdependence overrides dissonance, and dynamic tension is recognized as part of growing in your role. Ask yourself if that mutuality is present in your workplace.”
To learn more and access resources that support resilience and mental health in the workplace, visit the Center for Workplace Mental Health at workplacementalhealth.org.